ABSTRACT
It happens in almost every business - from big bank to small publishing company. So-called “knowledge workers” are humming away (thinking, calculating, writing, program ming, doodling, etc.) when their phones ring. They answer. Callers are looking for information or help. These workers (hopefully) do their best to oblige. Certainly it’s not as regimented as the formal call center, where well-armed agents wait ready and willing for calls and caffeine-addled supervisors drool over real-time call-processing performance pie charts. Still, the ubiquitous “informal” or “casual” call center does represent a vast arena for computer telephony technology to flourish in. Indeed, it’s one that potentially dwarfs the traditional call-center market. How far have we gone in exploiting this killer opportunity area? Well, as intuition and a new comprehensive CT report suggest, we’ve only just begun.
